Warning system for potential releases of chemical warfare agents from dumped munition in the Baltic Sea.

The research aimed to determine the scale of the potential contamination of the southern Baltic by substances from dumped chemical weapons, in the context of applying a strategy for detecting the potential releases of toxic materials. The research included the analysis of total arsenic in sediments, macrophytobenthos, fish, and yperite with derivatives and arsenoorganic compounds in sediments and as an integral part of the warning system the threshold values for arsenic in these matrices were set. Arsenic concentrations in sediments ranged from 11 to 18 mg kg with an increase to 30 mg kg in layers dated to 1940-1960, what was accompanied by the detection of triphenylarsine (600 mg kg).

Distribution of Sr and Cs in biotic and abiotic elements of the coastal zone of the King George Island (South Shetland Archipelago, Antarctic Peninsula).

For many years Antarctic ecosystems have been considered pristine, however recent studies, including our results, contradict this assumption. Our comprehensive study on the activity of anthropogenic radioisotopes (Cs and Sr) in the most common species of green algae, bryophytes, lichens, and vascular plants, as well as soil and guano samples collected over a large area on King George Island (South Shetland Archipelago) in the austral summer 2018/2019 clearly indicate the importance of large-scale transport in shaping the level of pollution in areas very distant from potential sources of contamination. Additionally, radioisotope pollution can be measured even after a very long period (>60 years) since their occurrence.

Be, Pb, airborne particulate matter and PM10 concentrations in relation to meteorological conditions in southern Poland in 1998-2016.

An analysis of the concentration of Be in aerosol samples collected in one of the most polluted areas in Europe (Katowice and Krakow in southern Poland) indicated seasonal variability, with a maximum in the summer months. The average concentrations of Be were 4616.1 μBq m in Katowice and 3259.

Be-7 and Pb-210 in fallout and aerosols in 2000-2016 in central Europe - Deposition velocity and dependence on meteorological parameters.

The main aim of this research was to determine the transport and deposition velocities of Be and Pb based on a vast database containing the results of measurements of Be and Pb in fallout and aerosol samples carried out at several stations located throughout Poland in the period from 2000 to 2016. The monthly deposition flux of Be and Pb showed an unequivocal downward trend but was also subject to seasonal changes, with maximum values in the summer period. The same patterns were found in the case of the deposition rate, the average values of which were 0.

Benthic macroinvertebrates as reference indicators for monitoring of anthropogenic isotope Cs contamination in the marine environment.

Due to the limited studies dealing with isotopes levels in benthic macroinvertebrates other than Mytilus sp. in period 2011-2018, macroinvertebrates and seawater samples from the southern Baltic Sea were collected. Activity of Cs was measured in most common benthic macroinvertebrates inhabiting southern Baltic Sea in the context of choosing the best bioindicators.

Radiocaesium in Tricholoma spp. from the Northern Hemisphere in 1971-2016.

A considerable amount of data has been published on the accumulation of radiocaesium (Cs and particularly, Cs) in wild fungi since the first anthropogenically influenced releases into the environment due to nuclear weapon testing, usage and subsequently from major accidents at nuclear power plants in Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011). Wild fungi are particularly susceptible to accumulation of radiocaesium and contamination persists for decades after pollution events. Macromycetes (fruiting bodies, popularly called mushrooms) of the edible fungal species are an important part of the human and forest animal food-webs in many global locations.

An evaluation of the occurrence and trends in Cs and K radioactivity in King Bolete Boletus edulis mushrooms in Poland during 1995-2019.

B. edulis, collected from 33 forested or woodland sites across Poland over 25 years since 1995, were analysed for radiocaesium. The results (Cs activity range: 25 to 10,000 Bq kg dry weight) provide a good indication of artificial radioactivity in this food material.

Correlations between Be, Pb, dust and PM10 concentrations in relation to meteorological conditions in northern Poland in 1998-2018.

Analysis of a twenty-year (1998-2018) data series on Be concentrations in weekly collected aerosol samples in northern Poland showed a clear pattern of seasonal changes in Be with a maximum in the summer period associated with the most intensive thermal convection and vertical mixing. Activity concentrations of Be ranged from 480 μBq m to 9370 μBq m. A strong relationship has been shown between Be concentrations observed in years and the activity of the Sun related to the sunspot number.

Cs and K in Cortinarius caperatus mushrooms (1996-2016) in Poland - Bioconcentration and estimated intake: Cs in Cortinarius spp. from the Northern Hemisphere from 1974 to 2016.

Cortinarius caperatus grows in the northern regions of Europe, North America and Asia and is widely collected by mushroom foragers across Europe. This study shows that in the last three decades since the Chernobyl nuclear accident, C. caperatus collected across much of Northern Poland exhibited high activity concentrations of radiocaesium (Cs) - a long-lived radionuclide.

Radiocaesium pollution of fly agaric Amanita muscaria in fruiting bodies decreases with developmental stage.

Amanita muscaria collected from a forested area in northern Poland in 2015 were analysed for activity concentrations of Cs and K. Total K concentration values were calculated from K data. Mushrooms were grouped in six fruiting bodies size classes regarding to their developmental stage.

Cs and K in gray seals Halichoerus grypus in the southern Baltic Sea.

This study presents levels of Cs and K concentrations in the placentas of seals gathered in the period 2007-2015. The mean activity of Cs and K was 5.49 Bq kgw.

Artificial Cs and natural K in mushrooms from the subalpine region of the Minya Konka summit and Yunnan Province in China.

A study on Cs pollution and activity concentrations of K in mushrooms of the genera Cortinarius, Leccinum, Russula, Tricholoma, Tylopilus, and Xerocomus from two neighboring regions in southwest China in 2010-2013 revealed different patterns of pollution with Cs, which seemed to be highly dependent on climate conditions. Tricholoma matsutake was collected in Yunnan before and after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident and showed similar contamination with Cs. Mushrooms from the elevation of 2800-3480 m above sea level on the east slope of Minya Konka and forest topsoil showed higher contamination with Cs than mushrooms from the highlands of Yunnan.

Radioactive caesium (Cs and Cs) in mushrooms of the genus Boletus from the Reggio Emilia in Italy and Pomerania in Poland.

Activity concentrations of Cs and Cs were determined in mushrooms of the Boletus species B. aereus, B. reticulatus, B.

Marine environment status assessment based on macrophytobenthic plants as bio-indicators of heavy metals pollution.

The main aim of study was to develop the environmental quality standards (EQS) for selected heavy metals: Pb, Cd, Hg and Ni bioaccumulated in the tissues of marine macrophytobenthic plants: Chara baltica, Cladophora spp., Coccotylus truncatus, Furcellaria lumbricalis, Polysiphonia fucoides, Stuckenia pectinata and Zanichellia palustris, collected in designated areas of the southern Baltic Sea in period 2008-2015. The calculated concentration ratios (CR), which attained very high values: 10Lkg for lead, 10Lkg for nickel and mercury and even 10Lkg for cadmium formed the basis for the determination of EQS values.

Radioactive artificial Cs and natural K activity in 21 edible mushrooms of the genus Boletus species from SW China.

This study, for the first time, presents the results of activity concentration determinations for Cs and K in a high number (21 species, 87 composite samples, and 807 fruiting bodies) of mushrooms of the genus Boletus from across Yunnan in 2011-2014 and Sichuan (Boletus tomentipes) using high-resolution high-purity germanium detector. Activity concentrations of Cs demonstrated some variability and range from <4.4 to 83 ± 3 Bq kg dry biomass in caps and from <3.

Radiocaesium in Cortinarius spp. mushrooms in the regions of the Reggio Emilia in Italy and Pomerania in Poland.

Activity concentrations of Cs and Cs have been determined in 23 species of mushrooms of the genus Cortinarius (59 individual samples) collected from the Reggio Emilia in Italy 1992-1999 and in 4 species (16 composite samples and 413 individuals) from the Pomerania region in Poland from 1996 to 2015. Across all the Cortinarius species from the Reggio Emilia, the activity concentrations were relatively high in Cortinarius alboviolaceus, Cortinarius duracinus, Cortinarius orellanus, Cortinarius rapaceus, and Cortinarius subannulatus, in which Cs was at 10,000 ~ 100,000 Bq kg dry biomass (db) in 1994. Smaller activity concentrations were found in Cortinarius bivelus, Cortinarius bulliardii, Cortinarius cotoneus, Cortinarius largus, Cortinarius lividoviolaceus, Cortinarius purpureus, Cortinarius rufo-olivaceus, Cortinarius torvus, and Cortinarius venetus with levels at 1000 ~ 6000 Bq kg db from 1992 to 1994, and further in Cortinarius anserinus, Cortinarius auroturbinatus, C.

Evaluation of the activity concentrations of (137) Cs and (40)K in some Chanterelle mushrooms from Poland and China.

The activity concentrations of (137)Cs and (40)K in mushrooms of the genus Cantharellus (Cantharellus cibarius, Cantharellus tubaeformis, and Cantharellus minor) collected across Poland from 1997 to 2013 and in Yunnan province of China in 2013 were determined using gamma spectrometry with an HPGe detector, respectively. Activity concentrations of (137)Cs in C. cibarius from the places in Poland varied from 64 ± 3 to 1600 ± 47 Bq kg(-1) db in 1997-2004 and 4.

(90)Sr in fish from the southern Baltic Sea, coastal lagoons and freshwater lake.

Activity concentrations of radioactive (90)Sr were studied in four fish species: herring, flounder, sprat and cod caught in the southern Baltic Sea in two periods: 2005-2009 and 2013-2014. The study included also perch from the coastal lagoons - Vistula Lagoon and Szczcin Lagoon and a freshwater lake - Żarnowieckie Lake as well as additional lake species: pike and bream. (90)Sr activity concentrations were compared in relation to species and to particular tissue: muscle, whole fish (eviscerated) and bones.

Reconstruction of the pollution history of alkylphenols (4-tert-octylphenol, 4-nonylphenol) in the Baltic Sea.

This paper reports the reconstruction of the pollution history of 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and 4-nonylphenol (NP) in the Baltic Sea. Alkylphenols are endocrine-disrupting compound and therefore toxic to aquatic organisms. Sediment cores were collected from regions with relatively stable sedimentation conditions.

(90)Sr in King Bolete Boletus edulis and certain other mushrooms consumed in Europe and China.

The (90)Sr activity concentrations released from a radioactive fallout have been determined in a range of samples of mushrooms collected in Poland, Belarus, China, and Sweden in 1996-2013. Measurement of (90)Sr in pooled samples of mushrooms was carried out with radiochemical procedure aimed to pre-isolate the analyte from the fungal materials before it was determined using the Low-Level Beta Counter. Interestingly, the Purple Bolete Imperator rhodopurpureus collected from Yunnan in south-western China in 2012 showed (90)Sr activity concentration at around 10 Bq kg(-1) dry biomass, which was greater when compared to other mushrooms in this study.

Atmospheric deposition and riverine load of (90)Sr and (137)Cs to the Gulf of Gdańsk (southern Baltic Sea) in the period 2005-2011.

In the period 2005-2011 total atmospheric fallout and the riverine input to the Gulf of Gdańsk was 1168.8 GBq of (90)Sr and 424.1 GBq (137)Cs.

Artificial (137)Cs and (134)Cs and natural (40)K in sclerotia of Wolfiporia extensa fungus collected across of the Yunnan land in China.

Dried sclerotia of Wolfiporia extensa has a long history of medicinal and grocery uses in Asia and elsewhere. This study aimed at providing and evaluating data on activity concentrations from artificial (137)Cs and (134)Cs radionuclides and natural (40)K in sclerotia collected across of the Yunnan land in China, which is generally lacking information. Sclerotia of W.

Distribution and possible dietary intake of radioactive 137Cs, 40K and 226Ra with the pantropical mushroom Macrocybe gigantea in SW China.

There is scarcity of data on contamination with radiocesium 134/137Cs of edible mushrooms from the Southwestern Asia. This study aimed to get insight into activity concentration of artificial nuclides 134/137Cs and natural 40K and 226Ra in mushrooms from Yunnan province, which is major producer in China. The specimens of pantropical mushroom Macrocybe gigantea were collected from the wild and from a farm across Yunnan land in 2012-2013 and analyzed using gamma spectrometry with hyperpure germanium coaxial detector (HPGe).

Evaluation of the radioactive contamination in fungi genus Boletus in the region of Europe and Yunnan Province in China.

Numerous species of wild-grown mushrooms are among the most vulnerable organisms for contamination with radiocesium released from a radioactive fallout. A comparison was made on radiocesium as well as the natural gamma ray-emitting radionuclide ((40)K) activity concentrations in the fruiting bodies of several valued edible Boletus mushrooms collected from the region of Europe and Yunnan Province in China. Data available for the first time for Boletus edulis collected in Yunnan, China, showed a very weak contamination with (137)Cs.

Bioaccumulation of gamma emitting radionuclides in .

The article presents the results of a study on the bioaccumulation abilities of , a red algae specific to the southern Baltic Sea, towards (of) gamma emitting isotopes. A laboratory experiment was carried out to determine changes in the activities of some isotopes-Mn, Co, Zn, Ag,Sn, Cs, Cs and Am-occurring in exposed to a seawater medium containing these isotopes over the course of 1 month. All analyzed isotopes showed the greatest increase of radioactive activity in plant tissue in the first 24 h of exposure.